CCC Theatre aims for a 100 student department in 2008-09 

Coffeyville Community College (CCC) Theatre is on a huge mission this semester. That mission is to sign enough theatre students in the state of Kansas to produce a 100 student Theatre Department at CCC.   CCC already has the largest community college theatre program in the state. In 1994, upon the arrival of Mark and Bethanie Frank at CCC, Frank remembers he had two students on Theatre Scholarship. 

“I was holding auditions for The Dining Room and my only two students showed up,” he said.  “I ended up casting the librarian and then my wife and I hit the Coffeyville streets for actors and convinced a young couple, Scott and Beverly McMurray working for Pearl’s Midland Theatre to be in the play and come to college. The Theatre program was so low in numbers that when then CCC president, Dr. Kinney, offered me the job he told me he was doing away with the theatre program and asked me if I wanted to be the Forensics coach. Of course I said no and they gave me the theatre job and the rest is history.” 

Over the years the CCC Theatre program grew in numbers from the low twenties in the early 1990s to mid thirties in the late 1990s and then around 2001-2002 we had a huge increase and had 75 students. We are now averaging about 60 students per year. We have signed 60 so far and have 50 more still interested so our goal is 100 students next year. 

Part of the attraction at CCC Theatre is The Rubber Chicken Factory. Bethanie Frank brought her professional improvisational training to CCC and it’s evident in the troupe and the sold out houses six times a year. 

“We had the first improvisational comedy troupe in the state in 1995 and now seven colleges have them with our former students running them,” said Frank. 

Frank doesn’t want to be known as just an improvisation school as some would call CCC. The College has 15 students doing professional Theatre in Chicago, New York and Las Vegas so CCC is also an acting school. Recently the College has been getting many playwriting students. 

“I think having a published playwright on campus that actually teaches how to write and discuss a play’s structure and doesn’t have a playwright come a just talk about their experience and their plays all semester is the reason people come to CCC for playwriting,” said Frank. 

The addition of Chris Cameron is also bringing many students to CCC. He is the new Tech Director and a CCC alumnus but also “the funniest and nicest guy to work with or know.”